Daily Update On Current Affairs – October 02, 2017

President of European Council, Donald Franciszek Tusk and President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker will be on a three-day visit to India to hold the 14th India-EU Summit on 6th of next month in New Delhi. The summit aims at deepening the India-EU Strategic Partnership and advance collaboration in priority areas for India’s growth and development. During their visit starting from the 5th of October, they will also attend India-EU Business event on the sidelines of the summit. EU is India’s largest regional trading partner with bilateral trade in goods standing at 88 billion dollars in 2016. India and EU are also strategic partners since 2004.

International Day of Older Persons: 1st October

On 14th December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly (by resolution 45/106) designated 1st October as the International Day of Older Persons. This was preceded by initiatives such as the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing – which was adopted by the 1982 World Assembly on Ageing – and endorsed later that year by the UN General Assembly. In 1991, the General Assembly (by resolution 46/91) adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons. The theme of the International Day of Older Persons 2017 is “Stepping into the Future: Tapping the Talents, Contributions and Participation of Older Persons in Society.” Established in 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly occupies a central position as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations.

China celebrates 68th National Day

On 1st October 2017, China marked the 68th anniversary of the founding of People’s Republic of China. More than 115,000 people from across China gathered at the Tiananmen Square at the heart of Beijing to watch the raising of the National Flag. At the backdrop was a 17-meter-tall giant display in the shape of a floral basket, which symbolizes a thriving and prosperous country. The National Day is celebrated with a week-long holiday.

RCom calls off merger deal with Aircel

Reliance Communications (RCom) has called off plans to merge its wireless business with rival Aircel, citing legal and regulatory uncertainties as well as ‘intervention of vested interests to derail the deal’. Had the merger gone through, it would have created India’s third-largest telecom provider with 175 million subscribers. The Anil Ambani-led firm, with ₹42,000 crore in debt, is exploring other alternatives to reduce debt through a possible sale of spectrum, tower and real estate assets as the six-month moratorium allowed by the lenders to repay ₹25,000 crore of outstanding loans will end on December 31.

October 1-World Vegetarian Day

World Vegetarian Day is being observed on 1st October. It is a day of celebration established by the North American Vegetarian Society in 1977. It was endorsed by the International Vegetarian Union in 1978, to promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism. In India, National Health Portal also cited benefits of being Vegetarian in a tweet.

Meenakshi temple gets ‘cleanest iconic place’ tag

The famed Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai has been adjudged the best ‘Swachh Iconic Place’ (clean place) in India. Ten spots were identified by the Central government as part of the ‘Swachh Iconic Places’ initiative earlier this year. The Madurai City Corporation is also set to receive a special award from the Centre as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. District Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao and Corporation Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar will receive the award on October 2 from Uma Bharti, the Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Female assistant referee to be seen in U-17 World Cup for the first time

The U-17 World Cup will set a record of sorts as it will see for the first time a female assistant referee in a FIFA men’s competition this time. FIFA, the world governing the body of football, said it’s time for elite female support referees to be involved in a men’s competition. The FIFA said, for the first-ever time, they have selected female referees for a men’s tournament. Seven female assistant referees from across the world, one from each continent, have been chosen by FIFA along with 70 male referees to officiate the 52 matches in the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be played in six Indian cities from October 6-28.